Force of a Slayer
by Patricia de Lioncourt
Summary: The power of the Slayer runs far deeper than any could ever imagine, as Buffy is soon to find out.
1. Part I

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy or Star Wars. Buffy and related characters belong to Whedon. Star Wars and related characters belong to Lucas.

Originally for TwistedShorts August Fic-a-Day Challenge (Day 26)

A/N: Okay, so this one was inspired by a conversation with TwistedSlinky. This is set after Buffy Season 7, as well as Angel Season 5 (this is important later). Oh, as when I ever do anything like this, Star Wars, as a movie franchise, doesn't exist in this version of the Buffyverse, so I'll be asking everyone to ignore all those great SW jokes in the series (Sorry, Andrew!). Any other settings will become apparent as the story goes on. I'm disregarding the Buffy comics, save for a few ideas here and there. Also, I don't use the Extended Universe from the Star Wars verse… I've just never been fond of it. I hope you enjoy!

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**Force of a Slayer**

It started with a dream. Buffy hated it when things started with dreams. Probably because so much in her life had. Becoming a slayer, the problems with Angel, and even with the Ubervamps. All dreams.

But this one was weird. All her previous "something's a-comin'" dreams had been different from one another. Not this one. In fact, this one felt strangely similar to her dreams back when she had just become the slayer. It started with a dark place that Buffy had the weirdest feeling was underground. _Way_ underground. She was being led farther and farther to something, and at the beginning of the dream, Buffy couldn't see her guide. However, by the time she reached the wide open space, which all root-y and smelled like dirt, she ended up on a rickety wooden bridge. She would take a couple of uneasy steps to the rail, peeking over into a seemingly endless hole lined with sarcophagi.

"The Deeper Well," her guide said, and Buffy would turn.

Angel had informed her about her. Illyria, an Old One who had killed Fred to inhabit her body. Her lithe, purple-armored form would turn to face Buffy, cocking her head just to the right.

"He's awakened."

Buffy would wake up every time right at that spot. She had no idea what the hell Illyria meant by it, or why she was even dreaming about the God of Smurfs. But after the third dream, Buffy was sure that it was more than just recurring… it was trying to tell her something. She hadn't been a slayer for all those years and not learned when to listen to her gut—dreams, whatever.

#

It was hard to get a hold of Angel. He was still busy with the whole LA problem, and when Buffy had offered her help, he'd pretty much told her where she could stick it. After all, he had asked earlier. No matter how bad it had hurt, Buffy had understood.

Taking way too long on the phone with her ex, she ended up on the phone with another ex, Spike, who was a good deal more amiable toward her.

"I need to borrow Illyria to go to the Deeper Well," Buffy said to the cell phone in her hand.

"You'll have to convince her, but otherwise, sure," Spike answered.

Illyria had said yes before she could even be fully informed. So Spike had gotten her out of LA, and Buffy had met with her in England. Of course, she had traveled as Fred, which had unnerved Buffy. But Illyria was definitely more comfortable in her bluer form, and had switched to it immediately upon reaching the Tree.

That's when things got to be a little too close to her dreams. Illyria took the lead, and Buffy followed silently behind. They reached the opening a lot quicker than in her dream. As soon as Buffy peered over the edge of the railing, she interrupted Illyria, saying exactly what the God King was going to say.

"He's awakened," Buffy said, and Illyria looked more confused than she had in her dream.

"You know," she said, slinking closer to her.

Buffy shook her head. "No. That was in my dream. You, the Well, the whole prophetic 'he's awakened,' all of it. I was hoping that bringing you here would explain some things."

Illyria grinned, and it was the creepiest thing the Chosen One had seen since the Gentlemen.

"Can't you feel him? You two are connected through a shared power. It is called a different name by each, but it is the same."

Buffy opened her mouth, about to reply that she felt exactly crap, but paused. That wasn't true. There was someone here… waiting for her. Granted, there were _a lot_ of someones here. But Illyria was right. Someone was awake… and it felt like… like a slayer.

"This is impossible," Buffy muttered. "The Slayers were part of what helped take down the Old Ones."

"Wrong! Prideful human!" Illyria spat, jerking herself away from Buffy. "A slayer killed one of the last left in this realm. Your kind, another pitiful mix between humans and a demon's essence, would have been nothing but poor amusement in my time."

Buffy crossed her arms. "Yeah, well, the _pitiful amusement_ killed one of your _all powerful_ kind. But what does any of that have to do with whoever is awake down here?"

Illyria lifted an arm, lazily, and pointed to one of the coffins in the distance. It detached itself from the wall, floating over to rest on the bridge before them. Buffy stepped back, ready to dash if the bridge couldn't hold the weight. But apparently the old wooden structure was stronger than she thought, as it didn't even budge. She tiptoed back out toward Illyria, leaning around the Old One to peer at the coffin.

"Slayers were not a new creation when the Daughter of Sineya became the First of the Ones. And the humans on this _Earth_ were not the first of your weak kind. Behold the awakened one," Illyria said.

Buffy made her way past her, letting her hands hover over the sarcophagus. She paused, but Illyria shook her head.

"It is more than just the essence within. You won't be cleared."

Just checking. Buffy laid her hand on the coffin, and a hydraulic hiss issued from it. Dust expelled itself in large clouds, and Buffy sneezed and coughed.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked.

The coffin had not been made of stone, like the others. It was cool and metallic, and Buffy was sure it was more mechanical than mystical. The lid lifted, and a soft groan issued from within. She edged closer, her green eyes widening.

"What the…"

A man, about Buffy's own age, with blonde hair dressed in a black outfit lay inside. Around his waist was a belt of the same color, a high-tech metal hilt that looked like it was missing the rest of its sword clipped around it. The man's eyes fluttered, suddenly shooting wide open. They were bright blue, not at all demon-like.

"Where am I?" he moaned.

Buffy turned, eyeing Illyria. She turned back to the man.

"My name's Buffy… Do you remember yours?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, as if this was the stupidest question in the world.

"Luke Skywalker."

Buffy nodded. "All right. Luke… I think you and I have a lot of talking ahead of us."

End Part I

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End Notes: Okay, so this is the first of a mini-5 chapter length fic. I have this one, and Part II written, but I'll be honest. It's been a little bit since I've worked on these (since this past August) and although I remember what I wanted, generally, to happen, I don't remember a lot of the specifics. But as it's only 5 chapters, I'm going to try my best to figure that out again and get them done. Part II will be up soon, and if you'd like to read it, you can just add this to story alerts—or me to author alerts, if you'd like that. Please review!


	2. Part II

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy or Star Wars. Buffy and related characters belong to Whedon. Star Wars and related characters belong to Lucas.

Originally for TwistedShorts August Fic-a-Day Challenge (Day 27)

A/N: As I sit here and think about it, this fic will be at least five parts. Set after Season 7 of Buffy, disregarding the comics save for a few ideas. And I disregard the Extended Universe… I just don't care for it as much as I do the movies. Oh, and like I like to do for every xover like this, any references to the Star Wars franchise in the Buffy series is to be disregarded. Officially don't exist as a movie serious in this Buffyverse (Sorry, Andrew). Hope you enjoy!

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**A Fair Trade**

Luke Skywalker and the fact that he was human was all that Buffy had left the Deeper Well with. Oh, and Illyria. Illyria had followed along, returning to Spike almost immediately. Buffy wished she would have stayed. She had a sneaking suspicion that she had known even more about the very odd situation.

He didn't speak much, and seemed to be weirded out by the fact that their cars touched the ground. Oddly, he did not even blink at the fact that Xander—who had been the one to pick them up—had only one eye.

Luke seemed oddly trusting of Buffy, who—in the same situation—would have probably been freaking out and fully employing every bit of her slayerness on the strangers around her. But Luke seemed to be in this eerie state of peace, if not a bit confused. All in all, he seemed to be taking the things around him in stride.

They arrived in Scotland, at Castle Slayer as Andrew had named it, somewhere around midnight. Buffy was a little wired, but she offered their guest a room. He said that he felt as if he had been sleeping for far too long. As the rest of the castle, save for those on duty that night, went to bed, it eventually came down to Buffy and the ever-silent Luke sitting around the rough hewn wooden kitchen table, each drinking bottles of water.

"What planet is this?" he asked, the first the Chosen One had heard him speak in hours.

Buffy blinked, taken aback.

"Um. Earth."

Luke raised a pale brow. "Earth?"

She nodded. Slowly. "Why? What planet are you from?"

"Tatooine, originally," he said. "But I've been to several more."

"I think it's time we exchanged stories. You go first, since you're my guest," Buffy said.

Luke sighed. "I'm a Jedi, and I joined the Rebel Alliance at the age of eighteen to fight against the Empire which was building a space station known as the Death Star. It had enough power to destroy a whole planet at once."

"Okay, you've already lost me. You're a what now?"

Hours passed as the two exchanged their respective origin stories. Buffy found out about the Jedis and the Force and how Luke had to fight against his own father. And Luke found out about how Buffy became a slayer, what that meant, and what her most current prophetic dream had meant.

"I have no idea," Buffy finally sighed. "I don't know why the dream led me to you. I don't know why you were in the Deeper Well. I don't know why you are all high tech. And I don't know what Illyria had to do with it."

"The person I found you with? What planet does she claim as her home?"

Buffy laughed, shaking her head. "Believe it or not, this one. Just from a long, long time ago. Look, Luke, what's the very last thing you remember before waking up and seeing me?"

Luke paused, his brow furrowing. Finally, he shook his head.

"Not much. We had defeated the Empire. My father was dead. I remember saying goodbye to my sister one morning when I was going to search out a site for the new Jedi Temple to be built upon… and then… I woke up here."

"Okay," Buffy said, waving her hand. "I think we're going about this the wrong way. We're trying to figure out the 'how' when we should really figure out 'why.' Illyria talked a lot about humans being elsewhere than Earth before they were here, and the power of the slayer not being the first when the Primitive was made. But little Miss God King took off before I could pin her for more info."

"Don't you have a method of communication? A holocommunicator or something?"

"No… nothing starting with holo. But we do have a telephone… on which Illyria isn't very chatty. I don't think she trusts them. But, at least—unlike _someone_ I know—she doesn't believe the government is tapping in."

"But this Illyria seems our only way of finding out what transpired to bring me here… and what connection you and I appear to have."

Buffy sat a moment before a wide smile stretched across her face.

"Maybe not. Turns out, I have a Willow."

#

Willow wasn't keen on the idea. After all, the last time they had tried this little bit of "into the past," Buffy had nearly been infused with pure demon and a demon had almost eaten her loved ones. But Luke and the Chosen One made their case, and Willow—albeit reluctantly—agreed.

"It's a fair trade kind of deal, you know," Willow said as she drew her circle with colored sand. "You'll go, Buffy, and someone will come here."

"If this is dangerous," Luke began to protest as Willow lit her crimson candles and took her seat within the circle, "then you shouldn't do this. Or I should go."

Buffy shook her head. "A, dangerous is seriously in my job description. Like, paragraph one, sentence one, word one. And B, you going to back to your time will serve exactly zero purpose. I'm going. End of discussion."

The Jedi nodded, stepping back as Willow began her chant in Latin. It took a few rounds but finally a sort of speed gathered to Willow's cadence, and a bright light—blue and white all intermixed—began to appear behind the red-haired witch.

"May the Force be with you," Luke said.

"Yeah, ditto," Buffy said, leaping headlong into the light.

The light expanded to envelope her, and Willow and Luke reared back, covering their eyes. A loud _thud_ echoed around the room, and the light vanished. Blinking their eyes until they had relaxed, Willow sighed.

"We've got our trade," she said, pointing to the crumpled figure lying before her.

Luke's eyes widened.

"Leia!"

End Part II


	3. Part III

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy or Star Wars. Buffy and related characters belong to Whedon. Star Wars and related characters belong to Lucas.

**Written for Aug. Fic-a-Day 2012 (Day 01) over on LJ**

**A/N:** I hope my backwards typing is up to par. You'll understand soon enough. Hope you enjoy!

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**A Slayer in Coruscant's Court**

The world was fuzzy and full of strange noises. For a moment, Buffy half expected to see the Shadow Men standing over her, ready to speak to her of all her mistakes as a slayer. It took a second more, but soon she realized that that wasn't the case. She wasn't lying on a dirty stretch of African soil in a time long past. No, she was lying on some cool metal surface in a place that looked like every sci-fi movie she had ever seen.

Several whirring noises sounded constantly overhead, and Buffy realized that she wasn't alone. A crowd—a really massive one—of various humans and demons (aliens, she amended to herself, had to be aliens) was doing its best not to step on the crumpled slayer. Feeling more than a little stupid, she hurried to her feet.

"Are you quiet all right?" a voice asked from somewhere on her right.

It was high, the voice, and distinctly Giles-sounding—that was to say, British. Buffy blinked and turned. A robot, gleaming gold, seemed to be eyeing her. She looked all around, watching as the passersby remained oblivious to the strangeness of her arrival. After all, she had just fallen through a mystically summoned portal right into the middle of their walkway, if she remembered correctly. At least she would be able to tell Willow that the demon-Buffy switch spell worked just as well when switching worlds with a supposed "Old One" named Luke Skywalker. Locking eyes with the golden figure once more, she pointed a finger at herself.

"Were you talking to me?" she asked.

The robot nodded and moved a bit closer.

"Indeed I was, Mistress Summers. Allow me to introduce myself. I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations."

"Oh. Hi. Um, I'm Buffy Summers, slayer."

"I know who you are, Mistress Summers. The Powers That Be have told me everything. I've been sent to be your guide."

Buffy's brow arched. "My guide? To what? And you know The Powers? You might want to tell them that I have a bone to pick with them."

C-3PO sighed—which Buffy thought sounded unnervingly human—and shook his head. He walked a few steps closer to her, and she suddenly noticed that the crowd wasn't as observant of them as she had originally thought.

"You've been brought here to learn, Mistress Summers."

Buffy held up a hand. "Um, Buffy, please."

C-3PO stopped, his metallic head turned to one side. Then, with a slightly frantic wave of his arms, he sighed once more.

"Very well. Mistress Buffy."

Buffy groaned, and C-3PO continued.

"As I was saying, you've been brought here to learn that which must be learned. I've been sent as your guide through these matters. These people surrounding us are nothing sort of a feed, of some sort, from the past. You can see them, but they cannot see you as they replay their lives from this day so very long ago."

Buffy glanced around, taking in the surroundings beyond her place on the metal platform. It was a sprawling city all around her, every building attached with its own metal walkways, and flying vehicles of all shapes, sizes, and colors zooming about. Turning to her left, she noticed a bunch of smaller robots cleaning away debris that looked like normal, everyday rock that had been carved into some sort of figure.

"I'm in the past?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Several thousands of years so."

The slayer's eyes narrowed. "Where am I?"

"The city planet of Coruscant, one day past Master Luke's disappearance."

Hearing the name of the strange man she had found, newly awakened in a odd metallic coffin in the Deeper Well jolted her. Her mind filled with hundreds of questions, and it was a little hard to sort through them all. Finally, she shook her head.

"The spell. This one. I've been involved in it before. I was in Africa talking with the Shadow Men. I almost got pure demon essence put inside of me."

"I assure you, that will not happen this time."

Buffy huffed. "Thanks. But what I meant was… who was my fair trade? Who got sent back, and are they currently trying to kill my friends and family?"

It was strange, but the movement of the light in C-3PO's eyes seemed to suggest that they had widened.

"Heavens, no! The Powers have granted a kindness in exchange for what must be done. The trade made with you is one who will carry the memory of seeing Master Luke for the last time for the rest of her days. They, The Powers, hope that it will bring them both a measure of peace."

There was sadness in the golden robot's voice, and that made Buffy's heart ache. Perhaps Luke had gotten the harder side of the spell after all. Shaking her head, she shrugged.

"So what do you have to show me?"

C-3PO nodded. Turning, he gestured over at the pile of carefully carved rubble that the smaller robots were sweeping inside of themselves.

"It all began as soon as the Empire fell. The Jedi misunderstood the prophecy."

Buffy held up her hands. "Slow your roll. What prophecy?"

"When Master Luke's father was discovered, it was prophesied that he would bring balance to the Force. Then, he turned to the dark side. However, with the aid of Master Luke, he was able to complete the prophecy by destroying the evil Emperor Palpatine."

Buffy made a "huh" noise, eyeing her new mechanical friend. "Sounds pretty straightforward to me."

"Alas, the mistake was not in the reading of the prophecy, but in the enacting. You see, it was not meant for Anakin Skywalker and his son. It was meant for Master Luke… and you."

Buffy's eyes narrowed, and she found her gaze shifting. Now would be the perfect moment to spring that ol' demon essence on her again. She felt her body tense, readying for a fight.

"What do you mean?"

C-3PO turned, gesturing toward the doors of the large building in front of them.

"Please, it is not my place to explain. I am merely to guide you to Them. They will answer all your questions, as they did with mine."

There was a beat of silence. A brief moment where neither slayer nor robot moved, as Buffy eyed the golden thing, trying to figure if he had it in him to jump her or something from behind. This whole thing reeked of trouble, but, to her naked eye, there was no trouble to be seen. Finally, she nodded, walking ahead.

"Through the glass doors, please. This building used to serve as the Senate building in both the New and Old Republic, you know," he said as Buffy arrived at the entrance.

The doors slid open without a noise, and Buffy entered into a corridor carpeted in rich tones of red and purple, with matching curtains hanging from the high, high ceiling. A tapestry, as long as the curtains, hung to her immediate left. It depicted a young woman, about Buffy's age, with chocolate brown hair, bright brown eyes, and sweet smile. She was dressed in a beautiful gold gown, her hair pulled back in a strange combination of two buns and long tresses.

"Senator Amidala from the planet of Naboo," C-3PO said. "Please, this way."

He led her straight up the hall, where the well dressed men and women and aliens on the inside paid the two no mind. The robot had fallen into the lead, continuing straight ahead, until, about thirty or so feet away from the entrance, he turned toward a large set of ornate, faux gold doors.

"Inside," he said, and it sounded more like a request than a demand.

Buffy pushed on the doors. The room she found on the other side was nothing like she expected. She had anticipated more carpeted floors, perhaps an office of some kind. Instead, a hallway lit by blue lights and done entirely in cold, unfeeling silver metal—which shone the blue back well—lay before her. C-3PO gestured further, and the slayer slowly made her way up the hall. She was still just waiting for that demon essence—or whatever the space equivalent of that would be. The other shoe, as it were.

The hallway, narrow as it was, opened up eventually into a room full of strange buttons and consoles. It was empty, save for the flashing of lights of all colors. She turned toward her guide.

"What now?"

"Patience, you must have."

Eyes narrowed, Buffy whirled on her heel. Her eyes scanned the room. Finding nothing at first, she tried again, this time lowering her gaze. Sitting on the floor in front of her, dressed in tan colored robes with a walking stick in his green hands was the strangest little thing she had ever seen. It was an odd mix between creepy and cute, with a small, round, wrinkly head and long, pointed ears that extended from either side of his head.

"What the—?"

"Hmm, this form I have taken. Discuss we must the future of the Force."

Buffy blinked, and for a moment was sure someone, somewhere, was playing a joke on her. In fact, she even found herself looking around for a hidden camera. Satisfied after a moment of searching, she turned back to the little green man.

"Who are you?"

"The Powers That Be you know me as. Taken the form of Jedi Master Yoda I have currently."

Buffy knelt down so that she could stare the little creature in the eye. She glanced back up at C-3PO.

"Okay, guide," she said. "Guide me. What the hell is going on?"

"The Powers That Be have matters to discuss with you, Mistress Buffy. And this is the best way they knew how. They knew that you would venture into the past to seek answers about Master Luke's origins, and his disappearance."

"Balance you have disrupted, Miss Summers. Restore it we must."

Balance out of whack. Buffy had heard that before. Twice, at least. She had even heard it in Luke's own story. She shifted, moving to sit crossed legged in front of the manifestation of The Powers.

"How did I mess up the balance? By being brought back to life?'

Yoda laughed, shaking his head. And Buffy suddenly had the strong urge to hug him.

"No. Knew that would come we did. Balance with the making of many you disrupted."

Buffy bit the inside of her cheek. She knew there would be repercussions. She was messing with a plan older than herself. Older than time. But she had done it, done what she had to do to ensure the survival of her planet. She was not sorry. And Yoda—The Powers, whoever—knew that.

"So, what? Do you want me to take away my girls' powers? Because I can't do that," Buffy said with more than a little bristling involved.

"Disrupt it further that would. No. For balance to be returned, more there must be."

Buffy shook her head. "I don't get it. That sounds a little like two wrongs making a right."

"Not slayers. Gave you the means we did. Foreseen this we have. At your disposal he is. Powerful Jedi. No idea you have of the resources at your disposal all along."

"Luke? Are… are you saying that Luke's awake—that he was sent so far into the future of another _planet_ to fix my mistake?"

Yoda nodded. Buffy felt sick. Her fault. His family losing him. The loss of the life he had known. It was all because of her. After a beat of silence, the little green manifestation waved his three-clawed hand.

"Enough. Time for you to leave it is."

"What?" Buffy said, jumping to her feet. "But—"

However, by the time she was fully erect, Yoda was gone. She felt a cool, hard hand on her shoulder, and she turned to see C-3PO staring at her, the light in his eyes dim.

"You have what you need now. If you please… give Master Luke my regards."

"What? Wait!"

But the words had no sooner left her mouth than she saw a bright flash of blue-white light and felt her body collide with something very much like a floor. When her vision cleared again, she was back in Castle Slayer—the name given to the slayers' new headquarters in Scotland—and staring up at Willow and Luke.

It was Luke she looked to particularly, as his eyes had immediately found hers. And his were clearly wet with tears.

"My sister," he muttered by means of explanation.

Buffy sighed, resting her forehead against the cold stone of the castle floor. So much for The Powers' kindness.

**End Part III**


	4. Part IV

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Star Wars. Buffy belongs to Whedon, and Star Wars belongs to Lucas. No money made.

**A/N:** This is the fourth—of five, OMG, I'm gonna complete it this month—in my Buffy/Star Wars series that began last August Fic-a-Day. Please enjoy!

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**Visions of a Distant Past**

Buffy had gone, vanished through that portal of white and blue. And like he had been warned, Luke had been left with the slayer's fair trade. However, the crumpled figure lying just outside Willow's circle of crimson candles was the last thing the Jedi—or Old One, as the people he had awakened around called him—had expected.

"Leia?" he asked incredulously.

His twin sister stirred, dressed in a white gown that draped from the shoulders and did not hug to her figure. A silver necklace fell from around her neck, and her brown hair was braided and wrapped about her head. He stooped, scooping her up.

"Luke?" she muttered, her chocolate eyes trying to find their focus.

Luke felt his heart skip a beat. He had no memory of what had happened to him, to bring him into this odd future on this unfamiliar planet. All he knew was that he had left to scout a site for the new Jedi Temple shortly following the destruction of the second Death Star—and the deaths of his father and the Emperor. He remembered arriving on an uninhabited planet, and then… nothing. He had woken up in the—what he could only assume was—hibernation chamber in the earthy place Buffy had called the Deeper Well.

Buffy had then proposed a spell, one that would send her to Luke's time to learn more about what had happened, and she had told him that something would come in her place. As it turned out, that something was a someone.

"Luke!" Leia said, suddenly alert. She shot to her feet, wrapping her arms around her brother. "Oh, Luke!"

"Leia, what are you doing here?" he asked, gently prying her off of him.

She blinked at him, confusion in her eyes. Then her gaze drifted, taking in the cold stone walls and floors of the very aged castle—headquarters to a group of women known as slayers. No signs of any of the technology she knew were on any of the surfaces in the room. She shook her head.

"I-I don't know. Where _are_ we?" she asked.

Willow stood up, slowly approaching the twins. Gently, she tapped Leia's shoulder, and she whirled.

"Hey. Hi," Willow said. "Um, you're on the planet Earth, and from what we've figured, you're in the future."

Leia turned back to her brother. "The future?"

She was understandably skeptical. After all, Luke had had trouble accepting the same fact. The world they had left had had technologies above and beyond what he had seen of this place. But he had encountered worlds less advanced than this, so he had taken it in stride. He nodded.

"Yes. Leia… what happened? Why are you here?"

She stepped back, sighing. "You're asking _me_ what happened? You vanished, Luke. You left to go find a site for the temple, but you never returned! We waited. We waited for a two standard weeks. But you sent no word. We tracked your ship to Yavin Four, but you were nowhere to be seen. We… we couldn't find you. I couldn't feel you in the Force anymore."

She was deteriorating, slowly breaking down into tears. Luke wrapped his arms around her. He looked up to eye Willow, who was the very picture of sympathy.

"Let's get you something to drink," the witch said, tugging her away.

She and Luke guided her to a nearby chair, and Willow vanished for a moment into another room, returning with a glass of water. She set it before Leia, who muttered a "thank you" before sipping it.

A moment of silence followed, but finally Willow looked up.

"I know this is the last thing that you're thinking about, Miss Leia, after being reunited with your—"

"Brother," Luke completed.

"Brother. But, you see, we just sent my best friend back to wherever you came from. Can you remember anything about what you were doing or where you were at before you were here?" Willow finished.

Leia sighed, glancing back and forth between Willow and Luke.

"Um, I'm sorry," she said finally. "But who are you?"

Willow laughed, shaking her head. "Sorry. I'm not really focus-y right now. I'm Willow."

"Leia," Leia replied. Willow nodded, biting lightly at her lips. "And I was on Coruscant before I was here. I was attending the first meeting of the senate of the New Republic."

Willow nodded. "Did you feel anything? See anything? Willingly step into a portal of blue and white light?"

Leia blinked, shaking her head. "No. I don't know."

Luke held up a hand. "Maybe you ought to ease up a bit, Willow."

"Oh, right. Sorry. It's just… the last time I did this spell, a demon came through that tried to rip me and everyone around me a new one. It kind of sparks my curiosity to actually be able to speak with the thing that comes through."

"Thing?" Leia asked, incredulously.

Willow's eyes widened and she shook her head and hands dismissively. "No, no, no! I didn't mean, thing, per se. I meant, person. Traveler."

Luke grinned, trying his best to hide it behind his hand. Shaking his head, he said, "Let's try again. So, I just vanished?"

Leia turned. "You don't _know_?"

He shook his head. "No. But, did anything happen after I disappeared? Anything at all?"

"No. Not that I can recall. I've been kind of preoccupied worrying about the brother I just found out I had. You don't remember anything that happened to you, Luke? How are _you_ here?"

"I woke up in a hibernation chamber in a place they call the Deeper Well. They call me an Old One."

"But we're not really sure he _is_ an old one. For one thing, he's humans. Old Ones tend to be a bit more demon-y," Willow added.

"Demon-y?"

Luke shook his head again. "Um, yeah. Apparently their biggest threats in this world are demons and vampires."

Leia shook her head. "Vampires?"

"Uh, not important right now," Willow said gently.

Leia nodded. "Of course."

"So what about you? Are you sure that _nothing_ unusual happened before you appeared here?" Luke said, trying again.

Leia fell quiet. Her eyes were darting back and forth as she searched her memory for anything that could answer the numerous questions she had about this situation. Willow ran a hand through her short, fiery hair as she and Luke sat patiently by. Finally, Leia looked up.

"I had a dream. A night or two ago."

Luke's brow furrowed, and Willow looked between the two twins.

"I take it that dreams aren't always dreams in your world either."

Luke nodded. "Jedi dreams often mean something very real. I learned that from Obi-Wan early in my training."

"I'm not a Jedi," Leia said, and she sounded a bit defensive on the matter.

"The Force still runs strong in our family. Strong enough to send you a vision in your sleep."

"It was a man that I didn't know. He didn't identify himself, but he said that I would get my wish. And then, the next morning, I was attending the senate… and now I'm here."

Willow groaned. "Oh. We don't like any phrases with the word 'wish' in it around here."

That statement struck Luke as odd, but he did not ask her to elaborate. Instead, he cocked his head toward his sister.

"What was your wish?"

Leia's eyes sparkled with tears as she turned to her brother. "To receive closure. To know what happened to you, and if you were all right."

She folded into her brother's arms, and Willow stood. She did not speak, but Luke could see it in the witch's eyes. She was giving him some time alone with his family. She would never understand just how grateful he was for that. He hugged Leia tight, and the two did not speak for a long time. Finally, sniffling, Leia leaned back.

"The man in my dreams said something else too," she whispered.

"What?"

Leia stared at him a moment, as if she was taking the time to memorize everything about her brother's face. When she opened her mouth to speak, it was like she had taken the time to roll the words around her mouth to get a good taste for them.

"He said it would be limited. That you had a destiny to fulfill. That my wish being granted would be a kindness. Luke…"

Luke stood, putting his back to Leia. She turned in her seat, leaning against the wooden back of it.

"I don't think I can stay. I think that's what he meant."

Luke sighed, his head hung low. "I know. It's… part of the spell. For Buffy to return, you have to go home."

Luke heard the legs of the chair scrap against the stone, and then he felt his sister's arms wrap around him.

"It's okay," she said.

He felt her cheek press against his back, and lifted his hand to cover one of hers that had wrapped around to his chest.

"You're safe. You're alive. And if it's true… if you have a destiny to fulfill _here_… then do it. You came through for all of us in the Battle of Endor, more than most know. I believe that you can help them in whatever they need."

Luke turned. "How can you be okay with this? We just found our family… to lose it again?"

Leia shook her head. "It just feels right. This time… bringing me here. This was a gift. And now, I'm all right. I'm okay."

Willow entered the room before Luke could respond, her mouth pulled into a deep frown.

"I'm sorry, but… it's been a while. Something tells me we ought to bring Buffy back. And, that means…"

But Leia smiled. "That means I have to go. It's okay."

Willow nodded and returned to the circle of red candles in the far corner of the room. She sat crossed legged in the center of them, lighting them in turn. Finally, she sighed, staring up at the twins that stood over her. Luke's eyes were shining, and he was doing his best to keep his emotions under control. Leia slipped her hand into her brother's and smiled up at him.

"When the portal opens, jump into it, okay?" Willow asked.

Leia nodded. "Thank you, Willow. Take care of my brother, okay?

Willow grinned. "We will, promise."

With that, she began to chant. After several chants of the Latin phrases, Willow's cadence sped up, and soon a hole of white-blue began to open before the twins. Leia turned, hugging Luke once more.

"Be safe," she muttered into his ears.

"May the Force be with you," he replied. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too."

The portal was open now, and Leia took a deep breath. She went at a run, jumping into the light with barely any hesitation. The light seemed to explode, and both Willow and Luke had to shield their eyes. When their vision returned, Buffy was back, lying on the floor much as Leia had been. And Luke's tears had escaped, despite his attempt to keep them under lock and key.

The slayer blinked and stared up at the Jedi. And Luke knew that she saw the sadness in his eyes.

"My sister," he muttered.

Buffy sighed, resting her forehead on the floor. Something told the Jedi that she understood.

**End Part IV**


	5. Part V

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Star Wars. Buffy belongs to Whedon, and Star Wars belongs to Lucas. No money made.

**A/N:** This is the fifth—and final, yay!—in my Buffy/Star Wars series that began last August Fic-a-Day. Please enjoy!

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**Why We Fight (Again)**

Once Buffy and Leia had made the switch through the portal, which returned each to their respective homes, a long period of silence fell. Luke had returned to the bedroom that Buffy and her group had set him up with inside their Scotland castle—which doubled as Slayer Headquarters as well. And Buffy had turned to her training, focusing all she had on the girls she had just received from all around the world—newly found slayers. It was days before the two of them spoke once more, and that was fine by them. Luke had just lost his sister, forever, and Buffy had just learned that it was all her fault—in more ways than one.

Luke should have never been put into the Deeper Well, but now, after several hours of thinking about it, Buffy was sure that The Powers That Be had done just that, knowing this future would come. In fact, she was pretty sure that that was exactly what backwards-talking, Powers That Be-manifestation Yoda had meant. They had seen that Buffy was going to create many slayers, and that someone would have to be there to clean up her mess. She was the reason Luke had been torn from the world he had known, put into a hibernation chamber, and sent to a planet he had never even heard of in a time when it was ruled by those referred to as Old Ones.

So days passed, and neither the Chosen One nor the Jedi spoke with one another. If one was in a room, the other left. Buffy had informed Willow what had transpired on Coruscant—in the past, as was the nature of the spell—and she was pretty sure her witchy friend had passed the word along to Luke. There was some definite tenseness in the air.

But then, one night, Buffy found herself in the castle's kitchen—located on the bottommost floor, underground—scrounging the cabinets for anything that even remotely resembled chocolate when the Jedi entered the room. Buffy pretended not to notice Luke pause in the doorway, leaning against the frame. She continued to pull items out of the cabinets, more than happy when she realized that they had a can of whipped marshmallow, mini bars of Hersey's chocolate bars, and honey graham crackers. It was s'mores time in Castle Slayer.

"You've been avoiding me," Luke said finally as Buffy was midway through assembling her fifth s'more.

"Actually, I think we've been avoiding each other. S'more?" she asked, using the mallow covered butter knife to indicate that she had plenty more where the six she had assembled came from.

Luke's brow furrowed. "I don't know what that is."

Buffy grinned, pulling out more chocolate and graham crackers. "OMG, then you have to have one. This isn't the traditional way we usually make 'em here on Earth, but it's still damn good."

She threw together another two and lined the whole lot onto a baking sheet, popping them into the oven. She turned back to Luke as she causally chucked the dirty knife into the nearby sink basin.

"Doesn't take but a few minutes, just enough to melt the chocolate," she said.

"You're still avoiding me, even as we're standing here, Buffy," Luke said. He came fully into the kitchen, taking a seat at the polished, long wooden dining set. "Willow told me what Yoda said to you."

Well, that confirmed her suspicion. She would have to re-educate her BFF on what the exact meaning of the word "secret" meant. The slayer sighed, moving to sit across from the Jedi.

"It's my fault. What I did is the reason why they took you from your life and plopped you in mine. I'm no better than the Shadow Men were."

Luke smiled, shaking his head. "I've taken the past couple of days to study the origin of the slayers. Giles was very helpful on the matter. He also told me what transpired the first time you used the spell to learn what you could about the trouble you were facing then. These Shadow Men… you're nothing like them. From my understanding, they took an innocent girl from her home and turned her into a weapon of their choosing."

Buffy turned, pulling down the door of the oven to check on her midnight snack. The oven was barely even warm, so the s'mores were far from done. She shut the door with a sigh.

"Tell me how I'm different again?"

"You didn't bring me here. You didn't know that your actions were going to land me in a hibernation chamber. You don't want me to be here."

"Harsh," Buffy said, biting at her bottom lip.

Luke waved a hand dismissively. "What I meant was, given the choice to return me to my family or having me here just to serve you… you would choose the former. I know that's true."

"But how?" she asked, slipping back into her chair. "How could you possibly know that's true?"

"Because it's been shown to me. In the loyalty and love of your friends. In the loyalty and love of these new and frightened girls that are brought to you almost daily for guidance. And in your own, self-applied guilt. You're a good person, Buffy Summers. I've seen it time and again, even in the short time I've been awake."

Buffy checked on her s'mores again, finding them ready. She removed them from the oven and slid two onto a plate for Luke, and the rest onto a plate for herself.

"Careful," she warned quietly. "They're hot."

The Jedi eyed the summertime treat the same way Buffy had eyed some of the aliens on Coruscant. But, after watching the slayer take a big bite out of one of her own, he gingerly lifted his and mimicked the action. Instantly, his eyes lit up.

"These are delicious. What are they called again?"

"S'mores. Because you always want some more."

"Clever."

"Give it another twenty years."

The two munched on their snacks in relative silence, only occasionally laughing at one another for their struggles against the stickiness of the marshmallow. Finally, once Luke had completed his two—and turned down Buffy's offer to share her remaining four—he sighed.

"I've also been thinking about what it meant. What Yoda told you."

"He wasn't really Yoda, you know," Buffy said.

She didn't mean the words cruelly. In fact, she meant quite the opposite. She had already dangled quite a list of people Luke had known in his face that he would never see again… she really didn't want to add anyone that she didn't need to it.

"I know. But I think what he—They—meant is the Force."

Buffy arched a brow. "That's the powers you have? The mystical stuff?"

"It's similar, but not quite. I've noticed that some of those you call Wiccans here have the talents for the Force. And I do feel something similar when I'm around slayers, but it feels only… related. Like distant family. What I've sensed in the Wiccans, however, seems exact."

Buffy sucked some marshmallow off of her middle finger. "So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that what They meant by making more to restore balance is making more Jedi. Our powers spring from the some fount, although they admittedly have their differences. Perhaps having a group of both Jedi and slayer will begin to tip the scale back into place. One force to keep an eye on another."

"You mean like checks and balances?"

Luke nodded. "Exactly like that."

Buffy grinned. "And my civics teacher said I wasn't applying myself."

She didn't elaborate on that, instead continuing to eat away on her sweet snack. Finally, when devouring the last crumb of the last s'more on her plate, she sighed.

"You don't have to do this. You have a choice. You don't owe The Powers anything, Luke."

He nodded. "No. But I owe it to you."

"Oh, you definitely _do not_ owe it to me."

"I was awakened before you arrived. Had it not been for you and Illyria finding me, I would have died."

"That was my prophetic dreams."

"And you didn't have to listen to them. And then, to go a step further, you've taken me in, unquestioningly. And you've done more than I could have ever asked for in helping me figure out what happened to bring me here."

"We still don't have a direct answer."

Luke groaned. "I want to do this, Buffy. This is what I'm supposed to do. The Jedi fulfilled their part in my time, in my galaxy. Now it's time they do their part here."

He stood. Pausing for just a moment, He waited for her reply. When none came, he sighed and moved to leave the kitchen. Just before reaching the door, Buffy stopped him.

"We can start tomorrow. And Willow can help you find more of the type of person you need to train Jedi."

Luke grinned. Glancing over his shoulder, he nodded.

"I think it'll be an honor to work alongside you."

Buffy smiled. "Ditto."

**End Part V**

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End Notes: Okay, so I feel the need to add this note. As you've noticed from the A/N, this is the last in this series of one-shots. That being said, I'm gonna go ahead and tell you—very, very basically—what I think would happen in the future of this series. I think Buffy and Luke would become a couple. Not just because that's what I'd like to see, but because of the similarity in their situations. They were both fairly ordinary when they were told about their talents and trained to go save the world (or galaxy in Luke's case). They're both self-sacrificing heroes that, when the day ends and there's more people to help carry the burden, they are still the single, solitary person that everyone turns to for help. I think they'd see themselves and more in each other and end up, very happily, together. As for whatever else that may bring, well… you guys can just imagine. This is the end of this series, and I couldn't be happier with how I ended it. Also, s'mores… I think all the world's troubles could be solved a little easier if all meetings included a plate of s'mores. Also, I don't, physically in my real life right now, have the stuff to make them, and I think I'm kind of craving them.


End file.
